DECEMBER 8 "I DON'T UNDERSTAND ONCE SAVED; ALWAYS SAVED?"

I SIMPLY don't understand Eternal Security and I understand it even less after reading today's passage in Jude. The author provides a clear cut case against eternal security. He writes, "let me remind you". I think part of the problem is we forget and probably worse, most Christians just don't read The Bible, seems like an oxymoron if I've ever heard one, but it's true. If you were to try to have a debate over this subject and say, "well you know what it says in the book of Jude (as I have many times) about this" many "self-professed" Christians/back-slidden Baptists, would give you that stare...."hmmm, Jude, I think I've heard of that book, I'm not quite sure where it is...is that old testament?" And for those that have read the book of Jude and read the arguments of the author they would simply say, "well, that's because they were never really saved". However the author deals with that in Jude. He reminds us that God has no problem judging his people. One might say, "yes, I agree, but judging is one thing, condemning a Christian to hell for eternity is another". Who then is Paul writing to in Corinthians? Does he not address his Epistle to" the Saints at Corinth?" And does he not proceed to tell them, "be not deceived, no fornicator, adulterer, drunkard, etc..etc... will inherit the Kingdom of God". The key phrase " be not deceived". Those that are caught up in eternal security (once saved always saved) are clearly deceived. Just to take a few moments to recap what we read in Jude. " 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord [ c ] at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire." And if that isn't enough to convince you here is the case and point: "they pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." At the heart of the matter is this, people who are out sinning like sinner's, but yet claiming to be Christians, claiming that they will make Heaven their home because they once got saved when they were ____ years old are simply people who pervert (twist) God's Grace into a License for immorality. They think they have God in a "catch 22". And those that are preaching this damning heresy will be equally responsible for the people they've encouraged in their sin rather than a call to repentance. Grace is there for us because God knows we will slip, but like we read in 1 John just a few days ago, "as Christians we ought not to sin, but if we do, we have an advocate in Jesus Christ and if we will confess our sins He is just and faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." But where will the Grace be for the man or woman who dies in their immorality; which is really the issue in Jude, immorality and rebellion. Aren't those always the issues?! The Hallmark of Christianity in the 1st Century A.D. was that Christianity, amongst all the other masses of religions was the one that brought morality to a very religious, pagan and unclean culture. Christianity taught men to retrain themselves, to keep their bodies pure. If we take morality out of Christianity we have nothing. If we are going to be Christian than first and foremost we must be moral. What do "Eternal Securists" do with this passage in Hebrews 10:26,  26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. I did not write that just to make a point, that's straight from God's word. The author goes on to write,  29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?  I would have to agree, this is an insult to God, they have insulted his Grace and Mercy and have used it for a license to sin and think that somehow they have got one over on God.

 As with my children, it is both a Love and a Fear of God that keeps me. There are times where I feel close, loving and obedient towards my Heavenly Father and on those days, I am sustained by love. There are other days, other weeks where the cold winds of life come in an chill my love and on those days, Fear keeps me. As with my children, love works on some days, fear works on others. The last thing any Christian should ever be taught is that they a guaranteed a pass into Heaven, for the simple reason that our sinful, fallen nature, will exploit that every time. How many times did God tell his people to repent or he would judge them. Never did God tell his people, "you love me don't you, then c'mon, repent". There is Grace for sure in Christ, but know your scripture and know there's no Grace for those that pervert God's Grace into a license to sin; to be immoral. I don't understand Eternal Security because there's nothing to understand about it. I don't want to understand Eternal Security anymore than I want to sit down and try to understand how Satan could have rebelled against such a good God because the moment we think we understand than we think we can empathize with those that believe their heresy's and once we have taken that step we are one step closer to embracing the heresy.